


Something Worth Living For

by GhostSam



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Antihero Lena, Awkward Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lena has powers, Protective Kara Danvers, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Soulmate AU, more characters will be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostSam/pseuds/GhostSam
Summary: In a universe where only 10% of the population has soulmates, Lena and Kara had never expected to be connected to each other. Their relationship had burned down before it even got off the ground. Especially when Lena disappeared after actively supporting Lex, six years ago.Now, Lena has resurfaced back in National City. With her arrival acting as a catalyst to major changes in the city, the world will never be the same. With everyone rooting against them, can Kara and Lena salvage their connection to deal with these new troubles, or will they find each other on the opposite side again?
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 36
Kudos: 100





	1. And Back Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Happy Valentines. It seems a great day to start this Soulmate AU I have been working on. There are a few changes in this universe.
> 
> Lena has psychic powers. In this universe, she supported Lex when he tried to kill Superman and has kind of grey moral values. Kara is not as much naive as she is in the show. 
> 
> I might add some minor relationships in the background later in the story. Nothing planned there right now. 
> 
> I have taken enough of your time already. Enjoy the chapter.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters. The show and characters are property of CW.

CHAPTER 1: And Back Again

National City. What a destination it was! An amalgamation of polar opposites, it housed everything you could ever dream of. Alien, human, something entirely else, no matter what or who you are, you will find yourself a place in this colorful and sunny city.

Take this morning only, the early morning Sun painted the sky in a picturesque reddish hue. The dawn here has always astounded people. The chirping of birds which slowly transforms into numerous noises as the city rises to meet a new day of work seems something out of a novel. The beauty of nature in these early hours is said to make even the most heartless person feel something. 

Well, the last sentence was a lie. As Lena stood in the balcony of her penthouse, overlooking the city skyline, she felt... nothing. Science has proven that a human can have up to 27 different kinds of emotions, yet she could not conjure even one properly. It had been yet another sleepless night for her, the last two hours of which were spent in the same position; looking at the streets and sky, seeing the city slowly waking up to face another day.

' _Give it time_ ', her therapist had told her a long time ago. And she did. Last 6 years of her life had been spent trying to understand herself. She had left everything behind, attempting to become something more than her last name, what her "family" made her, but it was all in vain. She was still the same. Maybe a little wiser and a little bit more in control of herself, but for all broad purposes, the person she was 6 years ago was not vastly distinct to what she was today.

Deciding that she had enough of the exquisite scenery, she dragged herself back inside. If there was a competition on ' _Most Soulless House_ ', hers would win the gold medal for life. It was just empty space. Nothing in it notified that she lived there. No pictures, no personal collection, no specialized color palette, not even proper lighting. In her defense, she never wanted to live in this giant uninhabited penthouse situated on top of one of the most expensive building. This was her choice only because no one else wanted to sell her anything. She never blamed them; she would have done the same in their situation too.

Undergoing her morning routine, she meditated for a little while, then took a quick shower and prepared a light breakfast. Her "upgrades", as Lillian called the cursed thing, had not affected her lifestyle in a while. This allowed her to settle into a regimen that resembled something of a normal human. As soon as the clock hit 8, she was ready for another day at LuthorCorp. 

Her driver, Peter, was a middle-aged man with a kind smile. "Good morning Ma'am. Straight to the office again?" he asked his usual question as she entered the back seat of her car. 

"Yes." she responded unenthusiastically. He insisted on asking the same query again and again, as if she had anywhere else to go. 

The car ride was spent in complete silence. She took the time to ensure that she was mentally prepared for another day in the wolves' den. LuthorCorp, after Lex's incarceration and her exit, had plummeted straight into the ground. Most of the talented and capable ones had left the company during the initial decline. All the remaining figures were comparable to parasites, who only cared about ways to fill their pockets. 

' _Oh, how the mighty fall_ ', she thought as she exited the car and looked up at the giant building. What used to be one of the most powerful corporation in the country, was now a boat with holes in it. She took a deep breath, readying herself for what seemed to be another long day and entered the building.

Like other days, the building was practically empty. Despite that, a few employees and working staff were lingering here and there giving her weird looks, but she did not pay any mind to them. At this point of her life, she was used to people looking at her like she was a pariah. She could hear the whispers, wondering why she was back and if she would ever pay for what she had done. Some even targeted her clothing, which included grey blouse and black trousers with a blue blazer to top it off.

Shutting her mind to murmurs, she took the private elevator to her office. Jess, her secretary, was waiting right outside her office door with a cup of coffee in her hand. She was the only one who was able to impress her during the interview and so far, she had been a solid help. 

"Good morning Miss Luthor. I have gotten the reports you asked yesterday; they are on your desk. Your first meeting of the day is at 11 with Mr. Jacobson regarding the new marketing of the company. I will notify any further changes." Jess informed.

"Good morning. I told you that you do not need to arrive this early. It is completely fine if you work your usual 9 to 5." 

"It's fine for me ma'am. I go home earlier in the evening anyway." she said and walked to her desk. Individuals like Jess kept reminding her that there was still some hope for this company. It was going to be a herculean task and she needed people who were willing to go just a few extra miles.

Thinking about it, she stepped inside her office to begin her workday. She quickly got engrossed in the files, but her attention was diverted by a mark below her collarbone. It was her soulmate mark, with the words 'Kara Zor-El' beautifully carved in Kryptonese. Someone who had a soulmate was considered extremely lucky, as only about 10% of the world population had the coveted mark. 

They had met each other years ago when Kara was in college. Her sunny, bubbly personality was in complete contrast to her ice cold one. In her lonely life, Kara was the only person who she considered her friend. They never had the time to be something more, Lex went mad and then she went away. It was probably for the best, someone who had such a kind soul deserved better than a monster like her as a partner anyway.

During their last conversation before Lena's departure, Kara had said some rather hurtful things. It was one of the few times when she felt sorrow and sadness. However, despite her harsh words, Lena never blamed her. She had actively supported Lex's action and Kara had every right to disagree with the path she had taken. 

The thing about soulmate mark is that it is not any ordinary mark. It was more or less like a source which both the parties could use to send the other figments of their feelings. Most of the time it was by their conscious, but sometimes some involuntary reactions also slipped through. There was no passing of any emotions for the first few years of her exile, but gradually Kara restarted using the connection. 

Today however, she was feeling panic and rush coming from her soulmate. Believe it or not, it was not a rare occurrence, in fact it happened more than it ideally should. "Late again, aren't we?" she talked to herself. "You would think that having superpowers will make sure that you are never late." 

She sent a calming emotion, to the best of her ability. Emotions were not something she excelled at. She wondered how long it will take Kara to figure out that they were in the same city. The woman could literally fly, and probably worked for some government agency, with all the guys in gear following her around, so her bet was in a few days.

She got back to her work. Between back-to-back meetings and boring paperwork, the day passed rather quickly. Jess had left a few minutes ago while she was preparing to tackle the report on company's finances. The setting sun provided a rather gorgeous backdrop which she enjoyed for a moment.

As soon as she sat down, she heard sounds of knocking. ' _Weird. Didn't everyone leave?_ ' It took her a minute to figure out that someone was knocking on the balcony door, not the lobby one. Supergirl, in her full regalia, was excitedly tapping on the door to get her attention. To say that it surprised her would be selling it short. Kara looked exactly the same as six years ago. And judging by her enthusiasm, her behavior appeared to be the same too. 

She slowly walked towards the door and opened it. Kara had her palm facing her at chest height. It was her way of asking permission to touch or come close to her. She hated anyone being in her personal space. The doctors called her condition Haphephobia, the fear of touches. In her case, it was caused due to her ' _dear mother_ ' Lillian's innumerous experiments on her since early age. 

Lowering her guard down a bit, she slowly raised her hand to meet Kara's. She was instantly engulfed in a huge hug as soon as their palms touched. "You still remember?" Lena asked. She had explained Kara about her phobia once. It surprised her a bit to see that she still remembered it after six years.

"Of course." Kara mumbled in her hair. After hugging till Lena allowed, she pulled back and gazed at her face. "It has been so long." she whispered.

Lena did not know what to reply. So, she simply nodded. It was strange listening to her again. Strange but not uncomfortable, kinda like their entire relationship. 

"I am sorry if I barged in when you were busy. I was thinking of visiting earlier, but there were people around and I wasn't sure that it was the right time. Also, why are you still working? I thought you would be preparing to go home. Oh yeah! Speaking of home, I moved here a few years ago." Kara went on her usual ramble which made her smile reflexively. 

"I am rambling, aren't I?" she sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. "Sorry for that."

"It's fine. Good to see that somethings never change." 

Kara gave a huge grin. "So... are you back back, or is this some kind of vacation from vacation? It's fine if it is either, I am not pressuring you or anything." she asked with a hopeful face.

"I... I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I thought being away would help me find my purpose, to see things from a better perspective. Can't say it worked." Lena spoke in a dejected voice. 

Kara studied her closely. "Why did you return then?" There was no tone of anger or disbelief in her voice and Lena was very grateful for it. If there was one person who gave a shit about her decision to bail on everything, it was the one standing in front of her. 

"I got tired of running. I... It is a long story. I'll tell you someday in peace." she gently flicked Kara's temple with her index finger.

"Nooo! It's weird that way. Makes me feel like I am living it." Kara groaned. "By the way, speaking of minds, how are your powers? Still have troubles with them?"

She shrugged at the question. They were not powers. Powers were something which enhanced an individual, like Kara’s. Hers were only useful for death and making people insane. "Yeah. I try to avoid them as much as I can. We both know what happened last time I used them freely. I should not give people more reason to call me a monster. They have enough already."

"Hey! Don't let them get to your head. You are not a monster. Trust me, you are one of the most strong-willed persons I have ever met. No one would have survived what you went through."

"I did help Lex though. You know the funny thing, if given the chance, I would do the same thing. I owe him my life. The world sees him as the biggest villain, I see a troubled person who is my brother."

"Everyone tried to use me or experiment on me when I got these." She called a pen from her desk and levitated it with her mind. "But not him. He stood by me, helped me and made me a capable person. He would let the world burn if it meant saving me, how am I not supposed to do the same for him? Does that truly make me evil? Isn't there a saying that there are no lines which shouldn't be crossed for a loved one?"

They both had slowly moved towards the balcony railing while having the conversation. Kara, who had both her hands on the railing did not reply immediately. She looked down at the roads, engulfed in her thoughts. 

Breaking the silence after a long time, she spoke, "I know why you did not want to talk to me back then. And I was angry at you too. Kal may be an irresponsible jerk, but he is still the last... family I have left." Her voice broke at the end.

Clearing her throat, Kara continued, "The thing is, I did not understand you back then. That's why I never stopped you from going. Looking back, that might be most stupidest thing I have ever done. Since I became... this," she pointed the giant S on her chest, "I have been in situations where there is no right. You were in one back then too. What I am trying to say is, there are times, when we are stuck with impossible choices. Despite the whole world against you, you still stuck with your morals. That doesn't make you a monster, that makes you a determined human."

Lena listened to her closely. It was true that when they parted their ways all those years ago, things were left on a sour note. But she felt that they had patched things over the course with help of several exchange of emotions. Kara was always sending a jolt of happiness whenever she was drained of all hope and joy. 

"It's all in the past Kar. We both are different now. Well, at least you are. I don't blame you for anything. You had every right to be angry."

"Still, I should never have treated you like that. You were going through a troubling phase and instead of being an anchor, I acted like a jerk. I was not there for you then, but I promise that I would be here anytime you need me. Doesn't matter in what capacity, all you need to do is just call."

Lena wished she could feel something. This would be the moment when everyone else would have a warm feeling in their hearts or be happy. But not her. She was as emotionless as ever. "Thank you." She tried her best to inflict some emotions, but the end result was pretty lacking. "The same goes if you need me too."

Kara gave her a grin. "Enough heavy stuff. I am reaching my emotional limit for the day. What is your plan now that you are back?"

"I want to change LuthorCorp. I feel that if I make this into a force of good, I might be able to repent some of my sins. I..." she trailed off into nothing. 

"Go ahead. I am not judging." Kara nudged her gently.

"I just want to fix myself. I hate being broken... I hate myself. I just want to be normal like others. There is this giant... void inside of me and I do not know a damn thing about how to fill it."

Kara quietly raised her hand again asking for permission. Seeing her nod, she gave her a warm hug. "You are not broken. And I will say that to you every single day until you believe it." she whispered with conviction.

Lena was sure that Kara's hugs could cure anything. They always induced warmth and care, and it was something a lot of the world lacked. However, despite her hugs being the best, the prolonged touch made Lena a bit agitated. She quietly tapped on Kara's shoulder to let her know about it. 

Pulling away, Kara said, "And now I am at my emotional limit."

"Sorry. I know I am not a good person to have conversation with."

"Eh. It's fine." Kara shrugged. "You are better than Ms. Grant at least. She gives great advices, but it is so soo hard to talk to her and not feel like you are nothing. Plus, what is up with the confusing wordplay? Half of the time I don't even understand that she has insulted me. What is up with that? One day I was just eating at my desk and she gave me such a stink eye that I haven't been able to eat a burger properly since then."

"Umm... I had a question." Lena softly interjected her rambling.

Kara gave her a huge smile. "You don't have to say it. Just ask. Don't mind my non-sensical talks. I am used to people ignoring it. Wait... That's just sad. Huh? I really should stand up more for myself."

"Does anyone else know that you and I are connected? I do not want to get you in trouble. I am sure that DEO would not like you talking to me."

"They can go and die. I decide who to spend my time with." Kara replied with conviction. 

"Still... Be careful with them. DEO is a government agency. They would not hesitate to throw you under the bus as soon as they think you are not useful." she shared her worries.

"I know. The way they response to a few of the matters is troubling to say the least. But they are getting better, so I have to give them a benefit of doubt. Don't worry too much. I will be fine."

The night had fallen sometime during their conversation. There was a light breeze flowing, making Kara's cape flutter. Stars were adorning the night sky like gems on precious jewellery. She looked at Kara who was silently looking up the sky. After a long while, she turned her head and scrunched her eyebrows as if listening for something.

"Supergirl emergency?"

"Probably. There is an armed robbery going on nearby. Normally I let police handle it, but they might not arrive on time." she replied still listening. 

"Go on then. National City needs its hero."

Raising her hand up again, Kara asked her permission to touch again. But instead of hugging her, she gently kissed her temple. "You should go too. Working this late is not good for your health. And be ready for a thousand visits. I am not leaving you alone." she winked at her.

"Good night Kara."

"Good night Lena." she gave a toothless grin before floating up and flying away leaving Lena alone on the balcony. She looked in the direction in which Kara flew for some time before stepping back inside her office. 

For the longest time, she cursed the universe for playing such a cruel joke. She didn't deserve a soulmate, much less someone as pure and kind as Kara. She may never be capable of loving a person, but she was going to make sure that she always had her back. No matter the cost. Kara deserved at least that much from her. And maybe, by some miracle, she would heal herself in the process too.


	2. Imperium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First look at Lena's powers.

CHAPTER 2: Imperium

  
Monotony. The word has a very simple meaning: the state of always being the same. The significant thing about this particular word is that our world is anything but monotonous. The Earth always keeps moving, people commute daily, birds fly to great distances. If you are monotone physically, then you are not considered to be alive.

But what about the mental uniformity. If no physical change means death, then what does no change in one's mental mean? Lena had put a lot of thought in this topic, but the answers never really appealed to her. However, for some reason, this topic was on top of her head while she was walking towards the conference room. What made it more ironic was the fact that this meeting was the follow up to one of the biggest changes in the company ever. 

Her mind probably went to it because excluding Kara's visit a couple of days earlier, her week back was pretty basic. She did exactly the same thing daily. Every day her driver asked the same question, people whispered the same things and she kept ignoring everything. Nonetheless, she had expectations for the upcoming conference. After firing almost everyone who was a central figure in the company two days ago, she had hopes that the new batch would prove to a breath of fresh air. 

The conference was not supposed to start until 3 PM. She was not surprised to see that the only one in the room at 2:30 was her. This was her first big meeting since being back and she believed that she had done adequate preparation. People slowly started trickling in as the clock inched closer and closer to 3. Once everyone finally arrived and settled, she called Jess in to distribute a few papers to everyone. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you must be wondering why I called you all here. I believe that you already have gotten the notice of your promotion in the company. This meeting is to ensure that all of us are on the same page. And, to get acquainted a bit." She addressed the ten people in front of her.

Everyone listened to her with undivided attention. 

"For those of you who do not know me, my name is Lena Luthor. I am the CEO of this sinking ship. If you have any question about my personal life, please refrain from asking so. I am not here to gossip about the baseless rumors. However, if you have any question regarding my work ethic or the new company policies, this is the time to ask."

"Umm... may I ask something?" A woman raised her hand.

"Sure. Go ahead. Can you introduce yourself first please?"

"Bethany Woods, R&D. You have just fired most of the Head of Departments and major figures in the company. That has raised some issues about job security. How are we supposed to work our best if there is a sword hanging above our heads?"

"You only need to fear for your job if you are not doing the work. You are overlooking the several people I did not fire. They did their tasks rather well and gave me no choice but to retain them. This promotion is an opportunity for you all to be better than your predecessors and help me rebuild the company."

A few nodded at her words, others still looked skeptical. This time a man raised his voice, "We also have concern regarding your... you know?" He finished lamely.

"I do not know. In fact, I am having trouble understanding your question. Also, introduce yourself before you ask something." Lena snarked.

The man audibly gulped. It took him a whole minute to regain his composure. "David Knowles, ma'am. I am from Sales Dept. Many of our clients are trying to distance themselves from us since the news broke out that you were back as the CEO because... o-of your...... reputation." He stated in a wobbly voice. Lena hated how frightened they all were. It seemed more of a trial rather than a meeting.

"Please do not be afraid to ask me something." Lena tried to calm everyone in the room, but her words fell on deaf ears. The nervous thoughts she was picking up from the room was making her feel bizarre. She continued on, "Now regarding the clients, that is to be expected. Considering we are moving forward with new products; our clients will also be changed. And I am taking steps to ensure that my reputation is not a hindrance to our work here."

The meeting became smoother as more and more time passed. She answered various questions and presented the road map of what she had in mind for the future. All in all, it could be considered a successful meeting. However, by the end of it, she had a headache. All these people were thinking so loud. Couldn’t they keep their thoughts inside their mind? 

"Cancel my afternoon. I need some time to myself." She told Jess returning from the conference room.

Lena stepped inside her inside to take a breather. She sat down in her chair and closed her eyes. It gave her a moment of peace before it was shattered by someone screaming in the lobby. A moment later, a few men barged into her office. They were armed and had face masks on. 

"Lena Luthor, you are going to pay for what you did. You can't run away this time." A man with a rifle in his hand stepped forward and removed his mask. He seemed to be the leader of this merry band.

Lena was not fazed. At all. She looked outside the window uninterested in his words. She was aware that someone was going to try this sooner or later. She just hoped that it would be after a little while. Getting no reply, the man got agitated, "Did you not hear what I said bitch? Get up now."

Lena finally gave some attention to the intruders. There were 4 of them in her office. They seem organized but 2 in the back of them kept whispering to each other, giving away that not all of them were trained. "Who are you?" She asked them still not getting up.

Their leader stepped towards her while everyone trained their guns at her. "It would be so easy to off you here, but I can't do it here. So, move on before I change my mind." He grabbed her arm which made her brain go haywire with annoyance.

  
' _Stay calm. Don't give in. Stay calm_.' Lena chanted in her head.

"Keep you hands off me." She told him coldly, freeing herself from the leader's grip." Can't kill me here. Hmm. You guys are mercenaries then. Okay then. Tell me who sent you and I would let you live. One time deal." 

"Man! She is dumb. Why was he scared of her?" He talked to the others. "Listen here princess, I don't think you know how guns work. If you don't follow us out of here willingly, then your assistant outside and so many other employees get a bullet to the head. Or we could bag you, if you prefer that way of transportation."

As soon as he uttered the threat, another man pulled Jess in the room with a gun against her head. She was crying and looking at Lena with eyes full of fear. Lena looked directly into her eyes before opening a connection between their minds.

"Stay calm. It will be fine." She told Jess psychically. "Let me deal with them. If you want to talk to me, just think. I can read your mind."

Jess screamed out hearing Lena's voice inside her head. She kept thinking a bunch of nonsense and gibberish. However, just before Lena dismissed the connection, something interested her. "There are 7 of them. 2 are fighting downstairs with the security." Jess thought after a lot of needless panic.

Lena nodded at this and diverted her attention to the leader. She could rip everyone apart in barely a few seconds, but with Jess in the room, she decided to not take the risk. It had been a while since she had used her powers for this purpose. And she would rather not experiment with someone's life on the line.

"Don't hurt her. I will go with you." Lena told him holding her hands in surrender. 

The man grinned and motioned the others to direct her outside. "Take the girl too, it would make her comply more."

They tried pushing her to move, but she immediately walked in front. They were not going to invade her personal space again.

"On my signal, go and hide somewhere safe. And try to keep everyone away from me." Lena ordered Jess through their connection as the gunmen guided them both towards the elevator.

The ride down was full of tension. There were a couple of nervous hitmen, who were eagerly tapping the trigger of their guns. Lena, however, was busy making sure that her powers do not lash out and kill everyone in the lift. 

' _You got this. Don't let it go now._ ' She tried encouraging herself.

The ground floor of the building was almost empty, save for a few bleeding guards and some scared employees hiding here and there. Two other masked men joined them there. "The car is right outside boss." One of them informed.

"Leave her." The leader pointed to Jess. "We came for Luthor, we got her. Let's bounce before the cops arrive."

The men left Jess and pushed Lena forward. Before they could make any solid progress, a security guard suddenly came out of nowhere and fired at them, injuring one of the masked men. However, his luck ran out and his gun got stuck on the reload. Barely a second later, he had 6 rifles facing him.

"You made a mistake kid." The leader told him before pulling the trigger.

' _Fuck this._ ' Lena said and finally dropped all her barriers which were holding her powers back.

No bullet came out from the leader's gun. The others tried shooting too, but nothing happened. Lena gave a wicked laugh as the guns in their hands started dismantling. The rifles disintegrated into nothing but dust in front of their eyes. "I told you. It was a one-time deal. Should have accepted it." Lena taunted.

"What is happening?"

"What the fuck!"

"Any last words." Lena asked everyone still laughing as everyone stood there dumbfounded.

"F-fuck you bi-" The leader’s words were caught in his throat as Lena raised one hand in his direction, choking the air out of him. He tried resisting but could not do much as she threw him headfirst in a nearby wall. He crumpled like a piece of paper on the impact.

The others took out their handguns and started firing at her. She smiled at their feeble attempts as she drew a psychic shield all around her. Everyone watched in horror as all the bullets were stuck in midair, a few feet away from her. 

Lena flicked her hand, and each bullet went flying in the opposite direction, hitting the assailants. She idly walked towards the one guy left uninjured while he ran away from her in fear. "You cannot run. Just give up." Lena entered his mind and stopped the guy dead in his tracks. He desperately tried his best to move away but found himself frozen in place with no control over his body.

"Who sent you all? We could do this the hard way where I extract the information and leave you a walking corpse, or you could tell me, and I will give you a painless death." She gave a rather sinful smile.

"D-Derek Ro... Robinson. He is outside in the car. P-please have mercy. L-let me go." He stammered.

"I am sure the three guards you all killed also begged for their life. Where was this mercy then?" Lena pointed out icily as she snapped the guy's neck using her powers.

Most of the mercenaries were dead. Out of 7, only 2 were breathing. Barely. She slowly stalked towards them as they cowered in fear and desperation. Deciding to make it a fast death for them, she lifted the stray bullets on the ground and shot it at them. 

"Now where are you hiding Derek?" She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes to look for the man.

Lena could sense everyone in a small radius, until and unless there is direct obstacle between her and her target. It had saved her life more times than she could count. Focusing, she soon found that someone right outside was giving very nervous vibes. Without opening her eyes, she raised her hand in that direction. A minute later Derek was dragged inside by a force invisible to the eyes.

"Hello Mr. Robinson. I take you were not happy with my decision of firing you." She sneered at the man once he was lying in front of her.

"Y-you had no right to fire me. I helped build this company from nothing. A kid born yesterday cannot dictate my life." He replied stubbornly.

Lena did not reply anything. Instead, she stared at him. "What are you doing?" He asked a minute later.

"Thinking."

"You will have to face the consequences of your action. Who decided that you come back after all these years and become the head of this organization again?" He babbled and picked a gun lying on the floor and pointed it straight at her head. "I have nothing to lose. You are going down with me."

"You sure about that?" Lena smiled as he pulled the trigger. Absolutely nothing happened. Derek looked at her and the gun all confused. 

"What? What did you do?"

"We are inside your mind. The moment you looked in my eyes, you gave me unrestricted access to your brain. Turns out, you can't really kill someone who is in your imagination, can you?" She replied to a horrified Derek as the scene around them dissolved.

They found themselves standing in a blank white space. "Let's look through a few things, shall we?" She flicked her hand and a scene started playing in front of them. Derek was drinking heavily and assaulting some dude in a bar. "Hmm... Really did not take the firing well." She flicked again as more and more memories kept passing by.

"S- Stop this." He wailed loudly.

Lena turned around punched him in the face. She pulled on his collars to make him stand upright before questioning, "Who told you to pay for the hit? You don't have the guts to do it yourself."

"O- One of those old Luthor enemies. I just got a message later that night. At first, I thought that it was some kind of prank, but it turned out to be the real deal. They t-told that if I did this then I would get a lot of money and a permanent position in the company. You c-can take my phone. The messages were in it."

"See. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Lena leisurely started walking away.

"W-wait. How do I get out? Let me out. PLEASE!" Derek screamed as Lena warped herself back into reality. 

For any normal human, the whole interaction would have taken less than ten seconds. In that time, they would have only seen her staring at him. She dusted some dirt off her arm and walked towards the elevator as Mr. Robinson's body fell on the ground, screaming incoherent nonsense.

As her adrenaline rush came to a halt, she surveyed the mess she had created. Dead bodies were lying here and there. 'Shit.' She thought as her mind went to the consequences her actions might have. She could not let the world get the word about her powers, otherwise there would be a witch hunt.

' _What would Kara think?_ ' Her heart dropped as soon as this thought went through her mind. She was probably going to loathe her again, like she did all those years ago. So much for starting anew. She groaned loudly and kicked a nearby wall.

Lena grabbed the phone from Derek's unconscious body. The Luthors had so many enemies that she could spend the entire evening recalling their names. She expected that the messages may have some clue as to who this person was. She went back to the elevator and pressed her floor button. 

It was the time for damage control, and the only way she was doing that was getting ahead of the story and controlling the narrative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> Lena has both telepathy and telekinesis in this story, in case anyone is confused. Next chapter is Supercorp fluff :) I might post it on Friday.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated.  
> Thank you for reading :D


	3. Colloquium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Another chapter. Hope you like it. The title is Latin for conversation, in case anyone was interested.

CHAPTER 3 : Colloquium

Kara was basking in sunshine high above the clouds. The evening sun provided her a sense of calm that only a few things on Earth could. The red shade of the sun was the closest she had left of Rao. She loved doing this from time to time; mostly when her day was getting a bit hectic. There was no noise, no crowd and most importantly, no one to tell her what to do. Just her and the sunlight. It acted as a refuge for her whenever she needed peace. However, her peaceful moment was disturbed by her DEO phone. 

"What now?" She groaned.

Kara had half a mind to not pick it up. This was becoming a routine. She never had enough time to take a breath. Couldn't the villains take a day off? Mumbling incoherent words, she picked it up.

"Get to the DEO right now. Red alert." Alex's voice came through and the call got cut. 

Kara looked at the blank screen for a moment. She really did not want to go. Her day was already going substandard; Snapper had snapped on her two times since the morning. She was unable to understand what she was supposed to write and instead of helping, Snapper just demoralized and disheartened her. 

Closing her eyes, Kara tried to memorize this moment so that her Zen state lasts a bit longer. She slowly made her way to the DEO. The sounds of civilization grew as she flew close to the ground. She remembered the days when this much noise would cause a sensory overload. She still struggled from it, just not as much. Soon the DEO's building came in sight and she made a graceful entrance through the balcony, cape bellowing behind her. 

The scene inside seemed to be unremarkable. If there was such an emergency, then shouldn't more people be rushing here and there? Kara contemplated about this on her way to Alex, who was whispering something to Winn and J'onn. 

"What happened?" She asked once she reached in their earshot. 

Alex observed her carefully before speaking up, "We got a problem. A huge one. Take a look at this." She directed her attention towards Winn's monitor.

It was a series of pictures. Looking at them, Kara's expressions changed from confused to horrified in a matter of seconds. They were of LuthorCorp, with corpses lying here and there on the ground floor. Kara side eyed her sister and others, who were completely engrossed in their thoughts. 

After a while, Alex asked, "Guess why this happened?"

"Why?" Kara asked in a small voice, already dreading the answer.

"Lena Luthor. She has been missing for more than 5 years, and now suddenly decided to come back. In case you need a refresh, this is the same Lena who stood by Lex as he massacred so many people in Metropolis." Alex informed. 

Kara wanted to support Lena, but she was outnumbered here. So, she sealed her mouth and listened as J'onn joined in the conversation. "We have come to a conclusion that you need to be very careful until we can confirm that she is not a threat. That means no unnecessary talking with any strangers and no going on unauthorized missions. Ms. Luthor is a mystery, and this attack doesn’t do anything to relieve our concerns." He told Kara.

"What do you mean?" Kara asked confused by the phrasing.

"I got the case files from the scene and safe to say, there could not be a weirder crime scene. No footage, no witnesses and worst of all, no big guns. What kind of group attack LuthorCorp with handguns? Add to that, it seems like all of them murdered themselves with their own bullets. And there is a mad dude there for some reason. I don't get it." Winn explained. “ 

It took Kara one moment, and her mind immediately figured out what must have happened. She did not voice her discoveries though; it would be nothing short of a disaster. J'onn continued after Winn, "We have reasons to believe that this was no ordinary assassination attempt. The mercenaries went inside, that much we know. What happened next is a complete mystery? The concerning fact is that no one remembers what happened. It's like their mind was wiped of this memory."

"We might send someone to interrogate Luthor. Meanwhile, you should watch your back. It is no coincidence that she is back on the radar just a few months after you started as Supergirl. Be careful." Alex hugged her and went on her way.

J'onn too departed after a couple of minutes, leaving Kara and Winn. Kara was looking at the pictures, while Winn was searching something in his phone. "What do you think happened?" He asked her. 

"What is happening?" A new voice interrupted them before Kara could answer Winn. She turned around to see Mon-El smiling at both of them. It had completely slipped her mind that he was living in the DEO. His pod had crashed a few weeks earlier and he had roaming in DEO since then. She did not know what to think of him. He had a weird attitude towards life. 

"Nothing dude. Stop asking that. We are not telling you what we are working on." Winn told him.

"Come on! Just tell me a bit. I get bored here. Kara, back me up please." He spoke. "I used the phrase correctly, right?"

"Yeah. How did your test go?" Kara asked. He had to undergo a small test and interview at the facility before they allowed him to live with others in the society. 

"All right. They asked me some weird things. How do I know what to do if something in my shower is broken?" It was times like these when Kara wondered if he was telling the truth about him being a royal guard in Daxam. 

"You call a plumber." Winn suggested.

"What is that?" 

"As fun as this is, I need to head out. I have work to do." Kara said and took her leave. She stepped out of the building and flew straight to LuthorCorp. Lena should still be there if she was lucky. The giant skyscraper came in sight a few seconds later. Kara reached the balcony door and knocked on it. There was no one in the office, and the door was unlocked. She stepped inside to see a note on Lena's desk. There was an address written on it, in Kryptonese. 

Kara swiftly tucked away the note and flew back out. She had a mind to go to the address at once, but after giving it some thought she decided against it. The last thing Lena needed today was pictures of Supergirl hanging around the apartment. So, she made her way to her own apartment and dressed down in her usual attire. 

About half an hour later, she was standing in front of the building mentioned in the note. The night was approaching fast, and the daylight was extinguishing fast like a candle. National City was a sight to behold in these hours, as different colors of light illuminated the arrival of nightlife. Kara started to go inside the building but was instantly stopped by a guard. 

"Who are you?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Kara nervously played with her spectacles. The building screamed rich and posh, and her clothes were a quick indicator that she was nowhere remotely close to being wealthy. At least she could always fly up if she were denied entrance. "I-I am Kara Danvers."

"Can I have some identity please?"

"Y-yes." 

He checked the identification thoroughly and relaxed a bit. "Sorry for the inconvenience ma'am. You can go right in. Take the third elevator on the right. It leads to Ms. Luthor's penthouse floor."

"She has a floor? Of course, she has a floor." Kara whispered to herself before taking a deep breath in front of the elevator. She did not any troubles with enclosed spaces, until they were extremely small, but she still needed a moment to herself prior to stepping in elevators alone. There was only one floor labelled in the lift, so Kara pressed it. 

She walked out of the elevator to find a single door with the name 'Lena' written on it. Kara rapped on it a few times and waited patiently. After a couple of moments, the door opened, and Lena poked her head outside. She looked a bit surprised seeing Kara in her civilian identity, but gracefully schooled her features.

"Hello." Kara gave a small smile raising her hands asking for a hug.

"Sorry, not today." Lena replied in a such a small voice that Kara had to strain her ears to listen to her. 

"No problem at all. Can I come in?" She asked hopefully.

"Um... give me a second."

"Sure."

Lena went back inside and came back after a little while. "I thought you were not coming." She said, still talking rather softly.

Lena was wearing a full sleeve t-shirt and pajamas. However, unknown to her, the scars on her body were visible to Kara. The t-shirt stopped a bit above her wrists, so the numerous scars could still be easily identified. Kara ignored them to her best. Lena had never told her how she got them. And frankly, Kara did not want to know. 

She accompanied Lena inside the penthouse. The humongous penthouse almost blew her mind away. She was in, what she assumed the living room and she was struck speechless by the view of the city. The giant windows almost acted as television, with National City as its channel. There was an open kitchen attached to the living room along with a huge balcony which had a lavish looking swimming pool. Her whole apartment could easily fit at least half a dozen times in the penthouse.

Despite the size, one thing Kara noticed very soon was the lack of belongings. It did not look like someone lived here actively. The television in the living room had no wires attached, there was bare minimum amount of things in kitchen and the living room had one place to sit down. It seemed more like an empty space than a home. 

"Umm... don't you have stuff?" Kara asked Lena, who was busy nursing a bottle of whiskey.

"Not much."

"This is an awesome place to live. Just lacks a bit... you know... things. A few plants here and there would really make it come to life." Kara commented, already imagining the end result.

"Just... don't. Stop being nice. I know what you are here for." Lena looked tired saying this.

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Kara asked tilting her head, confused by the statement.

"I know you are here to yell at me about killing them. How horrible I am, could not even go 10 days without taking a life. I-I am not saying sorry this time. They deserved it. They tried to kill Jess and others. I had to do it. There was no other way." Lena replied looking at the floor, her fingers fidgeting with the hems of her t-shirt. 

Kara had never hated her past self more than she did at that moment. She still remembered confronting Lena before Lex's trial. In her anger, she had said a lot of things she never even meant to utter. It was the only time she had ever seen Lena with tears in her eyes. 

"What gives you that idea? I promise I am not here to judge you or anything." Kara announced. She did not agree with Lena’s methods wholeheartedly, but now was not the time for it. 

"I-I felt it. You were disappointed and angry." Lena finally met her eyes, pointing to her soulmate mark. 

While Kara ransacked her brain for the time when this could have happened, Lena finished her bottle of whiskey and moved onto another one. Her brain suddenly lit up as the memory of anger came back to her mind. "That was not related to you. I was mad at my boss for something. He is a jerk. I did not even know that anything happened until two hours ago." Kara tried clarifying the situation.

Lena did not reply anything for a long time. She stared at Kara in confusion and kept drinking. Kara wanted to stop her but decided to keep her mouth shut. She had no right to tell her how to deal with her issues. 

"Why are you here then?" Lena asked after a while.

"To check up on you. Believe me, no exterior motives here."

Lena's face was full of uncertainty. "Okay. I-I am fine." She hesitantly replied following a long pause.

' _Oh, you poor thing._ ' Kara thought in her mind. It broke her heart seeing Lena have a hard time believing that someone did not want to yell at her her but just wanted to know how she was doing. "Are you sure? The attacks could take a toll on mental health." She asked, still concerned.

"Yeah. The only time I actually feel alive is when I am taking other's life, even though the feeling remains for less than a minute before I go back to my default state of hating existence.” Lena replied self-depreciatingly. “Do you want the drink too?" 

"Thanks, but nope. They do not have any effect on me. And I despise the taste." Kara declined politely.

"I like to get drunk so I can run away to a fantasy land, where everything is fine. I have a small home, with a small garden. There is a backyard where I spend most of my days reading. I don't have to worry about my powers. People actually talk to me, instead of running away or trying to kill me. You are there too. And the best thing, I am happy. Like really happy."

"That sounds wonderful." Kara commented, imagining what Lena told. It was clear that she was buzzed, her slight Irish accent was out, and she was slurring a bit. Maybe that was why she was in a talking mood. Or maybe she was just alone. The second thought made Kara sad. 

"Too bad it's just a fantasy." Lena put the bottle back in the cabinet and sat down on of the two seats available in the kitchen. "So, what has been going on in your life? If you don’t mind me asking." Lena unsubtly tried to change the topic away from her and Kara decided to let her.

"Nothing much. Villains have seemed to take a break from National City, and my normal job is trying to make me go insane. Never thought I would miss being Cat's assistant." She mumbled.

"You got promoted?"

"Yeah. I am completely stuck on what to do though. It's not that I don't enjoy reporting. I do. But I am new, and I have no idea what to write. Plus, Snapper seems to hate my guts. Sometimes I feel like I am not cut out for this."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Kara asked puzzled.

"Second guess yourself. Especially in front of the people you work with. They will never treat you with respect if you do that. Just keep your head down and keep working. You will get an opportunity sooner or later, be ready to grab it."

Kara slowly absorbed Lena's words. "Sounds like something Ms. Grant would say." She commented.

"Never said she was not wise."

They talked for a little while. Well, Kara talked. Lena only listened and gave a few nods and agreements in between. All things considered; it had been a while since Kara had properly talked with anyone. Sure, she talked to Alex, but her sister had enough going on in her life. Last thing she wanted was to dump her troubles on her too. Thinking of Alex, she suddenly remembered something. "Before I forget again, you might be getting a visit from the DEO soon. They were talking some things about trailing you and figuring you out or something."

"They can try." Lena replied completely uninterested. "Why are you telling me this? I thought you would be on their side."

"Nope. I don't trust them. Not since they-" ' _tried to kill my aunt in cold blood_ ' went unvoiced. "Anyway, I work with them because there are a couple of good people there. I don't have to agree with everything they do."

Lena nodded in understanding. "Well, I will be off. It's getting late and you would need to sleep anyway." Kara said getting up.

"I don't sleep Kar. Lillian made sure of it. You know this."

Kara cursed herself silently for not thinking of her words more carefully. "It was.... Never mind. Just get some rest or do whatever you do. Thank you by the way."

"For what?" Lena asked puzzled.

"For listening to me ramble. Not a lot of people do that."

"Why won't people listen to you? You are actually kind of smart, in your own way. Seems a weird reason to say thank you, but you are welcome." Lena was still confused.

If Lena did not hate physical contact, she would have been in an enormous hug by now. The sentence meant so much to Kara. She somehow controlled herself from throwing herself on Lena and just gave a huge grin. She slowly walked to the door and raised her hands. "Goodbye hug?"

Lena looked uncertain for a moment but nodded in the end. Kara without wasting any time, engulfed her in a one-sided bear hug. She quickly let go too; did not want to make Lena feel uncomfortable.

"Don't mind asking me for help. You don't have to fight the world alone. Not anymore."

"Okay."

Kara flew home lost in her own thoughts. She felt really awful for Lena. She had been through hell, yet, tried to act like she was fine. This could not be good for her mental health. Knowing Lena, she would try to face everything all alone without ever asking for any kind of help. Well, she was in for a surprise. Kara would be damned if she let her fight her battles alone. She was going to stick by her soulmate, whether she wanted it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things I want to point out. First, Astra is not dead in this universe. Second, Lena and Kara were never really 'together' when they were young. They just hung out. 
> 
> So I was thinking of posting on Thursday and Saturday every week (barring any emergencies). Would guys prefer that or a Friday/Sunday release schedule? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	4. Lena's Woes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. 
> 
> Before you start the chapter, minor TW: Panic attacks. Nothing too much, but if you are triggered, avoid reading the parts between =====. The story doesn't progress that much in those paragraphs so even if you don't read it, you should be fine.

CHAPTER 4: Lena's Woes

  
There was a great deal of activities that Lena despised. Socializing, dancing, hiking to name a few. She did not like them but could tolerate it depending on the company she had. Schmoozing with rich people, however, was the single most appalling thing she had ever experienced in life. The absolute revulsion she felt inside her soul while talking to the sexist and racist pigs who believed that the world runs on their fingers was enough to cause headache for days.

Right now, she was wrapping up a meeting with the head of a small corporation. LuthorCorp had worked out a deal with his company a few years ago regarding production of weapons and backing out of this deal was turning out to be a bit tricky. Even after the conference running for 3 hours straight, they had not reached any middle ground. 

Lena could sense a massive headache coming. All she wanted to do was to run back in her office and shut everything out for a moment, but Mr. Silva, the guy she was meeting with, was busy explaining how his investment in real estate was a game changer and his perfect run in golf. Lena had to actively suppress her longing to snap his mind. Having enough of the garbage he was spewing out of his mouth, she stood up and started moving out.

"Well, it has been a wonderful meeting Mr. Silva. I would stay for the talk, but I have another meeting coming up soon. My lawyers will be in touch regarding the conflicting clauses in the agreement. Thank you for coming." She put on her charming fake smile.

"It has been a pleasure." He tried to shake her hand, but she promptly moved away. He looked at her weirdly but did not comment anything. "Cassie, get over here. Have you got my order yet?" He moved out of the room screaming for his assistant.

Once she was left alone, she took a few deep breaths. Jess came a couple of seconds later and put a glass of water in front of her. "Thank you. If I ever treat you like he treats his assistant, please do yourself a favor and resign." She said thanking Jess.

Lena had removed everyone's memories regarding the incident which happened a week ago, with one exception. Jess. It was clear that this was not an isolated attack. If her life was going to be an endless action movie, Jess deserved to know what she was getting into. Lena did not want to take away her choice to leave. She owed her that much. 

So instead of altering her memories, she offered Jess a vacation to come to a decision regarding whether she wanted to work for her or not. She was prepared to look for someone new for the job, but Jess had surprised her when she found her three days later, working like nothing had happened.

"I doubt that day will come ma'am." Jess chuckled lightly.

Before either could do anything else, the light in the room started flickering. Lena hoped that it would stop after a couple of minutes, but it was to no avail. "I will go look into this. You have the meeting with CatCo in half an hour." Jess informed her.

Lena moved towards the windows and looked outside. The weather was perfect, with no clouds in sight. She focused on a flock of birds soaring high in the sky. When she was younger, she used to envy their freedom. Flying everyday with no aim or purpose seemed to be the best life ever. She was brought back to reality when clatter of heels reached her ears. 

"Here you are. Got tired of hiding like a coward?" A voice spoke behind her.

===========================================

All the blood drained from her body on hearing the voice. This had to be in her head. It cannot be real. She slowly turned around, dreading the face she was going to see. Lillian Luthor was standing there with a smirk, her eyes scrutinizing Lena.

"I heard you were back. Had enough of the running around?" Lillian said as a man walked beside her and whispered a few words in her ear.

Lena was completely frozen. The images of her on an operating table while Lillian conducted every single experiment on her kept flashing through her mind. She clutched one of the scars on her arm nervously as Lillian once again focused on her.

"Six years and still can't hold herself properly. What is this riffraff? Don’t you have proper clothes?" Lillian stepped in her personal space and replaced her arms back to the side. She forcefully grabbed her chin and made Lena look in her eyes. "I won't let you besmirch the Luthor name with your idiocy."

  
Her skin felt like fire where Lillian touched her. She wished to move away but was paralyzed with fear. Maybe it was the shock of seeing her after so many years. She remained speechless which made Lillian grin evilly.

"At least you still know your place, don't you? Well, I won't be long. I have places to be. Just wanted to do a couple of things. I'll see you again soon." Lillian told and strutted outside, her henchman following her.

Lena immediately slumped on the floor as soon as she was alone. "She can't hurt you anymore. Be strong." She repeated again and again but the memories stuck with her. The blinding white light of the operating table, the immense pain, and Lillian's cruel laughter kept dominating her mindset. Pain was flaring in her chest as her heart continued beating at a rapid pace. In the end, she curled herself in a small ball and tried to fend off the horrible imagery.

She stayed in that position for god knows how long, eyes shut, trying to console herself. "Hey! You okay?" A soothing voice asked her after a while. Lena did not reply anything. 

"Of course, she is not okay. Why am I asking that? I really need to work on my questions." The same voice rambled on and cleared her throat. "Can you listen to my voice? Give me any sign if you can."

Something about the voice made Lena trust it. She settled for a small nod but still did not open her eyes. "That's good. Just follow my instructions. Everything will be fine. I am here to help. Listen to my voice, okay?" 

She nodded once more. She could feel calmness radiating from her soulmate mark. Maybe Kara knew that she was having troubles. "You are doing so good. Concentrate on your breathing. Stay in the present. I am right beside you." Lena took a deep inhale and exhaled after a while, as the voice directed. "Good job. Once more, okay?"

========================================

Lena followed the kind voice's instructions. It guided her through a few breathing techniques and allowed her to calm down at her own pace. After a while, she finally opened her eyes. Someone was kneeling besides her. Craning her neck up, she saw Kara's ocean blue eyes looking at her with concern. 

"Hey there. Are you feeling better now? Can I do something?" She asked tenderly.

Lena was confused. What was Kara doing there in her reporter attire? Was she dreaming? A gruff voice derailed her thought process.

"What the hell is wrong with her? We came for an interview. Not to deal with this bullshit. Can she just get over the acting?" A man Lena did not know spoke behind Kara. Lena subconsciously made herself smaller on hearing his words. 

"Shut up. Just stop talking before I punch you in the face." Kara snapped. "If you think panic attacks are acting then you should go back to school. She is having a difficult time. At least have some decency to keep your mouth closed if you can't help."

"Whatever." He moved out of the room cursing under his breath.

"Sorry about Jack being a jerk. He is an idiot." Kara apologized focusing back on Lena. Jess rushed into the room with a glass of water in her hand. "Are you all right Ms. Luthor? I have called an ambulance. Did something happen?" She asked getting near her, trying to help her sit up.

Kara stopped Jess's attempt midway. "No. Don't touch her without permission. She hates physical contact." She explained. Jess promptly stopped few feet away before hurling on Kara.

"How do you know that?" Jess narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you meeting her the first time?"

"Y-yes. I mean no. No. S-She was mumbling not to touch her when she was shaking. I- I think it's related somehow." Kara panicked throughout the sentence. Jess gave her a side glance but let it slide for the time being. 

Lena used this time to slowly adjust herself into a sitting position. She tucked her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. The panic attack had left her completely drained. Her whole body felt ten times its weight. Fortunately, her mind was too tired to keep up the flashes of her scarred past. 

She could see Kara playing with her hands in nervousness. She undoubtedly wanted to help her but could not do anything with Jess present in the room. Despite her limitations at the moment, she kept sending the calm feeling through her soul mark.

"The ambulance should be arriving soon." Jess announced. "I will reschedule your meeting with Ms. Luthor. Thank you for the earlier help." 

Lena shook her head rapidly. She did not want to go to the hospital. The doctors would only ask more questions about the scars littered across her body, refreshing the horrible memories. She tried to verbalize her emotions, but her voice refused to come out.

"She does not want to go to the hospital." Kara came to her rescue once again. "Do you want to go home then?"

Lena thanked the heavens for letting Kara be there. She nodded at the question. It had been a while since she had a scare of this intensity. In the past, peace and isolation had always helped her recover quickly. She hoped it would be true for this time too. 

"I will call the car." Jess informed pulling out her phone. 

Kara gave her a small smile and went somewhere. A while later, she came back with a wheelchair. Lena had no idea where in the world she found it. But she was thankful, nonetheless. She slowly willed herself to sit in it. Kara sat down beside her and whispered, "I will drop by your apartment later. Just let me know if you need me." She tapped the soulmate mark as Jess started moving the wheelchair.

The car ride was completely silent. Peter looked at her with concerned eyes but did not say anything about the situation. She directly went to her room in her penthouse and laid down in the bed. She closed her eyes in hopes that she might get some shut eye, but sleep evaded her once again. Another cursed 'gift' from Lillian. 

She stayed there staring at the ceiling as the afternoon changed to twilight. Some of her senses were coming back, but she felt like shit. A couple of minutes later, someone entered her home through the balcony. Lena used her powers for a bit to confirm that it was Kara. Ten seconds later, she knocked on her bedroom door.

"Can I come in?"

Lena sent a small signal through her mark to let her know that it was all right. Kara, now in her Supergirl dress, stepped inside the room. Seeing Lena, she gave a tiny smile. "I brought a few things." She held up a few paper bags. "Just give me a minute."

Kara deposited the bags on Lena's bedside table and returned with utensils and a chair. She fixed the plates and explained, "There is a lot of variety here. Personally, I think you should try potstickers. They are amaaazing. But if you are not in mood of trying something new, then there are also burgers here. There is a couple of chocolates too. Just eat whatever you want, I will finish the others."

Lena gave the food once over. "Not hungry." She said softly.

"You got to eat something. Just a little bit. It will help. Food is the best medicine, after laughter of course. Besides, this is going to taste heavenly. Noonans are the best in biz." Kara urged.

Lena chose the salad, which Kara had completely forgot to include in the menu and steadily began eating, much to Kara's horror. "That is not... There are potstickers here. Why...." Kara stammered.

Lena shrugged and kept eating. She really did not want to eat, but it felt wrong to let Kara's efforts go to waste. "All right. Whatever floats your boat. I can still give potstickers if you want." Kara told as she digged in on everything remaining.

They ate in silence as night fell. Once finished, Kara took the plates and washed them, despite Lena's protests. She sat back on the chair and played some games on her phone, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.

"I am sorry." Lena spoke in a small voice after a long period of silence. " For wasting your day. And also, for the interview. I know it was importan-"

"No, it's not." Kara interjected determinedly. "Thank you for arranging it but it can be done another time. And you did not waste my day. I am sure you would have done the same if it were me having a bad day."

Lena motioned Kara to get a bit closer. She dragged her chair and sat as close to the bed as possible. Once settled again, Lena gently flicked on Kara's forehead. "Thank you." 

"Hey!" Kara said in faux offence. "Is this what I get after bringing you food? Flick on the forehead. Not fair."

"What did you want, a kiss?" Lena asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Kara blushed like a tomato, much to Lena's amusement. "N- no. N-Not at all. Why would- Why would I ask for that? I meant... not that. Yup. Definitely nothing like that. Not that I think you are not attractive or something.... Rao! I am going to shut up right now." She tripped over her words scratching the back of her head.

Lena gave a small chuckle seeing Kara's mini panic. Kara narrowed her eyes at her, trying to regain her composure. "Is that a laugh I heard? Who are you and what have you done to Lena?"

"You are a dork." 

"Way to hurt my feelings. You are being particularly cruel right now. I am not a fan of this Lena."

"So, are you saying you are a fan of my bitchy cold persona?"

"Noo. Yes...." Kara pouted at her. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Lena sniggered at her response. It felt good, messing around with Kara. But as always, her happiness was cut short as her mind went back to why she was here. Seeing her quieten down again, Kara asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Should she? Probably. But did she want to? Nope. She shook her head and hoped that Kara would understand. "Some other day."

"It's all right. Just... don't be afraid to open up. That's all I can say."

They sat together as the clock ticked by. Kara told her many stories about her time working as Cat Grant's assistant. Lena sat in silence and listened to the tales. She hated how Kara kept stopping in between to check if it was all right for her to keep going on. She could not understand why anyone would ever want to interrupt her. 

Their storytelling session was broken off by the ringing of Kara's phone. She looked at the screen in a dilemma, before reluctantly picking it up.

"Hey Alex. No, I am not at home. Just roaming outside. I'm fine. Yeah... I-It's all right. You don't have to say that." Kara glanced at Lena nervously a few times which let her know that the other side was probably talking about her. Kara finished the call in a couple of minutes and looked at Lena apologizingly. 

"Sorry about that. I... I should probably go." 

"It's okay Kara. You have done enough. Thank you so much." Lena replied sincerely. "I would be staring at the ceiling all night anyway. I will be fine."

"H-how does it feel? Not sleeping I mean. Doesn't it hurt you? Is it okay if I ask this?" Kara asked cautiously. 

"It's all right. Long story short, my brain works differently than others. It doesn't need any rest. So, the lack of it does not harm me in anyway. It's not the reason of not sleeping though. I- Lillian and Lionel... never mind." She finished abruptly.

Kara had a sad smile adorning her face during her words. She slowly got up and tucked Lena in the bed. "Don't go working tomorrow. It's all right to take a day off once in a while." She gently advised.

"Just call me if you need anything." 

Kara asked for permission and gently kissed her forehead. "I'll get going now. See you tomorrow. Have a good night."

"You too." Lena watched as Kara got out of her bedroom and flew away to her home. She closed her eyes and thought of what had happened throughout the day. Lillian had completely played her. She could not afford to be helpless every time she saw the old hag's face. 

Lena had to ensure that today was just a fluke. Next time whenever she was going to face Lillian, she would be ready. She had to be because Lillian was plotting something. And to outplay her in her own game, she had to be at her best. Not now though. Now was the time to rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
> Next one coming Thursday.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	5. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone.  
> Another chapter with Kara's POV. This one and next are going to be more plot heavy so there's that.  
> Enjoy the chapter!

CHAPTER 5: The Interview

Life was so unpredictable. Eight billion people on Earth, yet every single individual witnessed the same day with a different lens. There were myriads of combinations which guaranteed that no one's day had the same outcomes. In the same day, some cherished the happy moments, some cursed the gods for the bad luck and others just wanted to get over with the day so a new one could begin.

Kara was in the third category. Her day was going abysmal, to say the least. Due to her failure to procure an interview with Lena, Snapper had been going off on her more than the usual amount. How was she supposed to ask questions during a panic attack? She had broken seven pencils and two keyboards in frustration since the morning, and it was only 2PM. 

It had been a grueling week for her. The DEO had been doubling down to make sure she stays safe from Lena, which was a gigantic waste of time. Not that she could tell anyone that. And to add on top of that, she was babysitting Mon-el, as he was gradually getting settled in the society. He was not a bad company, just annoying at times. 

The only thing which was keeping her sane was the time she spent with Lena. Each evening she went around her office for some time before going home. The minutes chatting with her were swiftly becoming the favorite part of her whole day. Lena was a patient listener and allowed her to narrate at her own pace. She never told her to hurry up or get to the point, something which Kara appreciated dearly.

She was currently sitting in the CatCO cafeteria listening to Mon-el's tales about his past life. Listening was a loose term here. He kept going on about his life which Kara kept ignoring in favor of daydreaming. She knew that he was lying about his real identity. No guard knew the things he did. Especially on Daxam, which was notorious for being akin to hell for the poor. 

Her thoughts were put on hold due to a message. Unlocking her phone, she saw a simple text.

_Lena (2:08PM): Are you in your office?_

_Kara (2:08PM): I don't have an office Lena. I have a cubicle. But no, I am not there. Why?_

_Lena (2:09PM): Oh. All right. Can you please not go there before 10 minutes?_

_Kara (2:09PM): Ok...._

_Lena (2:11PM): Thank you._

Kara was intrigued by the conversation. She spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what was happening. Why did Lena need to know her exact place of work? She confusedly entered the elevator and reached her floor in exactly eleven minutes.

There were a lot of people gathered in a corner, whispering about something and pointing towards Kara's desk. She followed their line of sight and was shocked to see Lena casually standing in the middle of the room. Stunned, she stood there for a couple of seconds before Mon-el poked her in the shoulder.

"Who is she? Why is everyone being weird?" He questioned.

"Nobody. Go do whatever you do. I'll handle this." Kara started walking towards Lena at once. At a closer inspection, she discovered that Lena was looking a bit uneasy. She kept tugging at the hems of her full sleeved black shirt while looking at the ground. Kara briskly covered the distance and Lena spotted her just a few steps away.

"Lena wh-"

"Good afternoon Ms. Danvers. I believe I owe you an interview." Lena interrupted her with a smile.

Kara immediately backtracked from what she was going to say. It had completely slipped her mind that they were in public right now. She made a mental note to thank Lena later. 

"You didn't have to come all the way here Ms. Luthor. I would have been happy to come to LuthorCorp again." 

"I was free for the afternoon. Seemed as good a time to thank you for helping me that day. And I have an ulterior motive too, but we can talk about that later." She motioned towards Kara's desk.

A crowd had started gathering around them. They were all gawking at Lena who was still showing no clear sign of discomfort on the exterior. Kara marveled at her self-control. However, before she could do anything, Snapper barked from his office. 

"What is going on? Has everyone already finished their work?"

Everyone scattered away like petals during a storm. No one wanted to be reprimanded by Snapper. Even Mon-el, who was a tad dense in these matters, moved out of sight. Kara however, had no such luck. Snapper walked out and beelined straight towards her. "Why are you disturbing the work again Ponytail? I swear to god, there is not a shred of professionalism in you." He shouted at her. 

"But I didn't eve-"

"Stop with the excuses. You have done nothing but mess things up from the first day. Honestly, how did you even get here is beyond me. What was the reason for the ruckus now?" 

If looks could kill, Snapper Carr would be dead man right now. Lena was regarding him with such a withering look that even Kara was surprised by its intensity. Snapper however, paid no attention to Lena and kept ranting. 

"I am so sorry to interrupt this rather one-sided and frankly unprofessional conversation, but she has to work right now. Or would you like to tell Cat Grant that Lena Luthor walked out of this building without anyone interviewing her just because you wanted to be a massive asshole." Lena said with a sweet smile. Her tone though, was anything but sweet. 

"I am not sure how things work around here, but if this is how you treat your employees, I am not shocked that The Tribune is the shittiest paper around right now. Or is the hatred just for her? Does her talent make you feel jealous and miserable? Because any idiot with eyes can see that despite not getting any good pieces, her writing is the only standout in the whole magazine." She carried on. 

Snapper gawked at Lena with his mouth slightly open. Lena didn't give him much time to respond as she turned to Kara, her voice soft again. "Is there some conference room here? I am sorry to say this, but I don't think your desk is a comfortable place for the questions."

"Umm... yeah. You can follow me." Kara replied in a haze. No one in the room dared to speak one word. She had never seen Snapper speechless. The man was infamous for always holding his ground, no matter whether he was in the right or wrong. Yet all it took Lena to silence him was a few lines. She accompanied her to the sole conference room on the floor still not believing what just happened. 

"You read my articles?" She spoke once they were settled.

"Yeah. I am not doing this because you are the only reporter I know. That plays a big part, sure, but your work has been fantastic so far. Don't let idiots like him get to you. You are brilliant."

Kara could not stop the heat from spreading across her face. Playing with her glasses nervously, she spoke, "Th- Thanks. Umm.... I am going to record this if you don't mind." She pulled a recorder and a small diary and pen. She opened the diary to check the questions she had prepared. 

"So... Ms. Luthor. Your return is obviously the talk of the town. What made you return? You had a perfect out all these years ago. Why change your mind now?"

"The public is perceiving this decision as if I made it on a whim. I actually considered a lot of things before coming back here. I went away with the sole reason of trying to understand what I wanted to do in life. For some reason, everyone always forgets that I am only 25 years old. How many 19 years old would like to become the CEO of a company which is deader than my father?"

"I was not ready for all the responsibilities back then. I am in a much better place now and I hope that I would be able to bring some good changes." Lena finished her answer.

Before Kara could follow up, James walked in the room. He suspiciously glanced at Lena and called Kara to a corner. Puzzled by this, she put the recorder on stop and went near him. "What is she doing here?" He asked in a whisper.

"She came for the interview. What happened?"

"What happened?" He asked in exasperation. "She is a billionaire. They don't just walk up to a reporter. Something fishy is going on. I don't like this."

"Will you guys stop acting like there is some sort of evil scheme? Six years is a long time. She might be a changed person."

"Luthors don't change." He replied without missing a beat. "Let me ask a few questions first." He strolled and sat in a chair in front of Lena, despite Kara's protests.

Lena gave no response to his movement. In fact, her emerald eyes seemed busy watching a flock of birds flying in the distant sky. Jimmy cleared his throat before introducing himself, "James Olsen, Creative Art Director for CatCo. I work here with Kara." He stretched his hand forwards hoping for a handshake.

Lena eyed his hands warily. Once sure that he won't touch her, she spoke in a curated voice, "Lena Luthor. I am sorry I don't do handshakes."

"I have a few questions. What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly.

"James." Kara nudged him angrily.

"It's all right. I am here because I was unable to follow up with the appointment I gave to Ms. Danvers. I had personal issues that day which were out of my control. And I did not want to inconvenience her again."

"Why Kara? You could have asked for anyone, why her?"

"Why not her? Am I missing something here?" Lena replied, looking at Kara all confused.

"N-no. I meant that there are many seasoned reporters here. Why ask for the newbie?" James explained himself nervously.

"Way to lower her morale Mr. Olsen. I asked for her because she has the ability to put a positive spin on even the direst situations. Did you not read her report on the decreasing number of birds in National City? Even on this bleak topic, she was able to give the message of hope."

"I-I don't read her every...." Seeing Kara's smile drop, he did not finish his sentence. "Even then how is it related to you being here?"

"Don't you think that I would like someone to focus more on the changes I am trying to implement instead of the same old narrative of ' _Luthors bad, get rid of them_ '? Now, I appreciate you looking out for her, but I really don't have all day to spend here. So, can we please continue?" She asked Kara.

James tried to protest but Kara shook her head at him. Once sure that he was not going to interrupt again, she turned the recorder back on and asked another question. "You talked about some changes. Can you elaborate on what type of changes you are trying to bring?"

"Sure. I cannot go into details but the next weeks are going to be huge. We are trying to terminate all weapon manufacturing and focus more on technological progress. The company is going to follow an all-inclusive policy which allows employees of any race, gender, species, orientation to work without any fear of discrimination. I know we are late on that front, but we are trying our best to catch up. In addition to that, we are also trying to create products for the alien community which would help them in day-to-day life."

"Why would the aliens trust in your products? Your brother is notorious for being one of the biggest xenophobic individuals and your own history is not clean either." Kara immediately cursed herself after uttering these words. She did not want to come off this rude. 

Lena however, seemed impressed by her. She gave a small smile as she replied, "Good question. I don't expect anyone to blindly trust me. This is going to take time. But I trust that my actions would gradually assure the people that I am not my brother."

Everything went rather smoothly. Kara asked a few personal questions, but mainly focused on LuthorCorp and her plans for the future. Lena was a great sport and answered as much as possible without giving away any of the intimate details. She also kept appreciating Kara's line of thoughts in between, which boosted her confidence.

"That's all I had. Thank you for taking out time for this Ms. Luthor." Kara thanked Lena formally at the end. 

"Just Lena is fine. A piece of advice if you want Ms. Danvers, don't be afraid to ask the tough questions. It is your job to make the other person tell the truth. And you won't always get there by being nice."

Kara nodded as Lena stood and walked towards the door. "Meet me at the roof in five." Lena whispered as she strolled by Kara. James tried to corner Kara again, but she left without another word and went for the stairs.

Five minutes later, she found herself standing on CatCo's roof on a windy afternoon. Lena was standing near the edge with hands tucked in her pocket. She was looking over the horizon, her right hand tucked in her jeans pocket and left hand levitating a small rock.

"This place has a nice view." Lena spoke hearing Kara's footsteps. 

"Yeah." She stood right beside Lena. Despite Lena wearing heels, she was an inch shorter. "I find myself coming here quite often. Just clears my mind after a long day."

"I... I came here to warn you." Lena spoke after a long silence.

"About what?"

"Don't stay in the city for the next three days. Please. Just go to Midvale or somewhere."

"Okayyyy. But why?" Kara asked puzzled by the sudden request.

"Something big is going to happen. I don't know what, or when, but Cadmus is making a move." Lena looked her directly in the eye. "A move to get rid of you. By any means necessary."

Kara let the words sink in for a moment. Lena was not lying; she was sure of that. The sincerity in her eyes were proof enough of that. But Kara had a sinking feeling in her chest about how she procured the information. "How do you know that?"

Lena stood silent for a while. "Please don't ask me that. I don't want to lie to you." She replied quietly, looking at the ground.

"Lena, I can-" Kara stopped seeing the vulnerability in Lena's eyes. She did not need her opinion or her help. At the moment, all she wanted was Kara's trust. Deciding to not repeat her mistake all those years go, Kara simply stated, "All right then. I can't go anywhere but I promise to be careful. You don't have to worry too much."

"Thank you." Lena replied quieter than usual. "I... Never mind. I'll be in touch." She spoke cryptically and waved her goodbye.

Kara stood there for a while, enjoying the sun and wondering what mess Lena got herself into. However, her serenity only lasted so long, as she was called to the DEO. She quickly changed into Supergirl outfit and flew there without any delay. Landing at the balcony, she sauntered straight to Alex's office. She was surprised to see J'onn and Winn already there, waiting for her.

"Umm.... what's going on?" 

"Nothing." Alex replied. "Just having a talk. About you and Luthor."

"What?" 

"Since when are you both chummy enough that she comes to CatCo for a goddamn interview? Did I go into coma and miss a few months?" Alex stated angrily. "Do you have any idea about the danger she poses to us, you, hell even the whole city?"

"She is not dangerous." Kara murmured. 

"Hmm?" 

"Nothing." She scratched the back of her head nervously, looking at the ground. Seeing this, Alex immediately sighed and covered the distance to hug her. "Sorry for that. I should not have shouted. Just a bit wired today. Sorry." Alex mumbled in her hair. 

"She is bad news Kara. I know it won't seem so but believe me." Alex spoke after pulling away. "Winn?"

"Our guys reported that Lillian Luthor was at LuthorCorp two days ago. This was the second time in the last week. She doesn't care about the company. If she did then she would have been there at least a few times in the last six years. Something fishy is going on." Winn explained. 

"Add to that, there has been confirmed presence of kryptonite on her last visit." J'onn continued where Winn left off. "This puts you in the immediate danger. I suggest for you to...."

Kara ignored the rest of the briefing. Her mind kept going back to Lillian's name. ' _So that's why she had the panic attack._ ' She thought. Anger rolled through her veins, remembering Lena's condition a week ago. She was going to make sure that Lillian pays for what she put Lena through her teenage years.

"Kara, you listening?" Alex poked her in the shoulder.

"Hmm? Yeah yeah. I got it. Stay away from the weird lady." She joked to which Alex smiled. 

"Sorry for being a bit overbearing. I know it feels weird others deciding what you can or can't do. But try to give us a chance please. Things are bizarre enough with the guy in steel running around, I don't want you to get hurt." 

Kara saw Winn shifting uncomfortably on the mention of the steel guy. Before she could think why, Alex's phone diverted her attention. Alex's face had a huge grin reading the text which made Kara fascinated. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I'll tell you soon."

"Okay. Game night in a couple of days?" Kara asked everyone present.

"Sure." Everyone replied at once. 

Kara stood around for a while, as she was lectured properly on what not to do, before making her way back to CatCo. She hoped that Lena was not getting herself too deep in this mess. Cadmus was not some amateur group; they were a full-fledged evil organization. However, if they wanted to get to her, she was not going to make it easy for them. 

For now, though, she had to go through her notes of the interview. Snapper would definitely fire her if she did not complete everything on time, doesn't matter who supported her. And despite what people thought of her reporting, she would very much like to keep her job. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't went into details but the last few paragraphs have a lot of foreshadowing for the stuff to come.
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter.  
> Share your thoughts if you want to.


	6. The Things We Do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again.  
> Back to Lena's POV. This chapter just keeps going on and on. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 6: The Things We Do...  


The sound of water slowly dripping echoed around the dark empty hallway. Plink, followed by a two second pause before another, plink. The rhythming sound was the only attribute of the dead corridors. However, the overhanging moss and flora provided a contrast to the horror like feel it was emanating.

A cold wind passed which chilled Lena to her bones as she stepped in the hallway. She could see her breath, every exhale sent forth a small cloud in the air. Shrugging off the frightening atmosphere, she moved forward towards the other end. 

It was quite late in the night when she got a call from one of the Lillian's lackey to meet at a destination. The message was as cryptic and vague as possible. Despite her joining them a few days prior, she knew that no one really trusted her. So, it wasn't a great surprise to learn that they were giving her no clue on what was happening.

After walking a couple of minutes, she reached the end of the hallway where a small door awaited her. It seemed to be a part of an old sewage system which had been repurposed. She rapped the door a few times to no response. Just when she was going to break the door, a man opened it and sized her up.

"Get in." He told after inspecting her.

Lena quietly entered the door. Her first reaction to the other side was... underwhelming to say the least. She was expecting some form of an evil hideout with high level tech on display, akin to the ones in spy movies. However, like many things in life, the reality was disappointing than fiction. The door opened to a small cleared out area, where a small amount of people were milling around. On one side, there were a few computers, the middle-had a round table and there were two additional doors which lead somewhere.

Seeing her walk in, Lillian sauntered towards her. "Finally got the time to arrive?" She said, displeasure oozing from her tone.

"I had work. You can't call me at midnight and expect me to turn up in less than 10 minutes. The DEO agents would have field day if they saw me going somewhere this late."

"Tsk tsk. Excuses. What did I tell you about excuses? You certainly don't need another lesson in manners, do you? I thought we covered those thoroughly in your childhood."

"What childhood? Because I definitely did not get one. And I believe you are the one responsible for that."

"Enough of this." Lillian snapped and got in her personal space. Seeing her approach, Lena quickly backtracked to put some distance between them which put a smile on Lillian’s face. "Do not try to be smart with me girl. I can have you begging for mercy in seconds. Now behave and follow Hank."

A man called Hank led her through one of the doors. She tried reading his mind for anything she could pick up, but for some strange reason, she could not do so. She knew from Lillian's brain that this was just a temporary base. The real one was somewhere deep in the mountains. She had yet to discover the exact location though. 

"Is this your base? No wonder you needed the money." Lena taunted the man walking in front of her, in case he slipped up and gave away something useful.

"You think this is it? You are a bigger idiot than Lillian says if you think we are going to let you see our base. Everyone knows you don't care about anything except yourself."

"You'd be surprised." Lena did not elaborate any further as they reached a small glass window. On the other side an unconscious man was chained to a bed. He looked a little bit familiar, but she could not for her life remember where she had seen him. 

"This is how we get Supergirl." Hand said with a smile on his face. "That right there is an alien who crash landed on Earth a few weeks ago. He was sheltered by the DEO, but we got our hands on him. Turns out, he is quite an imbecile. The DEO are going to come after him and will send Supergirl in, helping her walk right in our trap."

"Didn't know a person could bullshit this much. Either tell me the real plan or I walk." Lena replied coldly. She may not be able to get in his mind, but she did not need her powers to know whether people were lying or not.

Hank gave a shiver inducing laugh. "We will. On one condition. You have to read his mind. He has held quite well with our interrogation, but you… You have the key to everyone's secrets. I want to know each and everything he knows about Supergirl. Help me with this and we will tell you the plan." Hank explained.

So, this was why they needed her. Lena inspected the unconscious alien. The chains seemed to be cutting through his skin causing blood to slowly seep out. She wordlessly opened the door besides the window and walked in. There was a small chair near a corner which she picked up and sat near his head.

If he were a human, she would not have to do the long procedure. She could just look in the eyes and she would be in their mind. But this method did not work well with the some of the alien species. She could read them too, just needed to have a direct touch to their temple. Placing her left hand above his brows, she connected their minds.

The scenes around her dissolved and she was left standing in a palace. The alien did not seem to be anywhere. She casually flicked her hand as a catalogue of memories appeared right in front of her eyes. While she was filtering through them, someone coughed behind her. 

"Who are you again?" Turning around, Lena saw the alien looking at her, puzzled by her intrusion.

"No one. Get back to what you were doing. I will be out soon."

"I know what you are doing. I am not as dumb as people say. You are a..... seer, aren't you?"

"The word you are looking for is telepath." Lena replied as she checked various memories. "Damn... Lar Gand, prince of Daxam. How did you find yourself in a lowly place like Earth your majesty?"

"Hey! Back off. These are private." He suddenly became hostile and tried grabbing her, but Lena pushed him aside with just a thought. He tried getting up to follow up the attack. However, she pinned him to the ground with a lazy stretch of her hands. 

"You have no powers here. This is my world." She informed menacingly as the world again dissolved leaving them in an empty white space. "I don't want to hurt you but try to touch me again and I will make sure that it would be the last thing you ever do."

He whimpered as Lena let him go. She got back to examining the recollections, looking for something important. It was a slow process, but she wanted as much information as possible. "Why are you lying to Kara?" She asked after searching through a particular thought.

"Why do you need me to answer? You can just look."

"Insight in one's mind is a delicate technique. I do not want to mess around too much. It could hurt you permanently if I cause some accidental problem. So just answer my question." 

"I... I don't know. I don't want to be treated differently. All my life I was around people who think that I can do no wrong. I-I just want to live a normal life. When I arrived here, it was a new chance for me. No one knew who I was, and I just rolled with it." He paused for a second. "Hang on. How do you know Kara is Supergirl?"

"You showed me." Lena lied without missing a beat. However, her smile dropped as soon as she saw the last memory. During his torture, he had unknowingly told Lillian where DEO's base was. She glanced at him who was looking at the same memory with all blood drained from his face.

"I... I didn't. No. This is just your trickery. I did not tell anyone anything."

Lena's mind was racing. If Cadmus knew where DEO was, why did they need her to check his brain? She immediately withdrew herself from his mind, snapping the psychic connection. A moment later, she found herself back in her body. Everything seemed to be the exact same, but her gut was telling that something uncanny was going on.

She got up from her seat and tried to open the door. To her surprise, it was locked. A laughter echoed from the intercom located on right side of the door. "Oh, you poor thing! Even after all this time, this is so easy." Lillian's voice followed the laughter.

"You really thought I bought your stupid little act. I know you are trying to go about your petty little revenge mission to get rid of me. We will see how it goes when you are behind bars. Good luck with that." The voice broke off leaving the room in dead silence.

"FUCK!" Lena punched the wall angrily. It did more harm to her, as the next second she clutched her right hand in pain. "Fuck."

She took a deep breath to control herself. She needed to get out, fast. Closing her eyes, she focused on her powers and burst open the door from inside. However, Lillian was one step ahead of her. As soon as the door was broken, an alarm went off with the warning, ' _Get to shelter. Self-destruction imminent in five minutes._ '

"Great. Just fucking great." Lena mumbled to herself. She contemplated her next move. It would be easier to get out if she left Mon-el behind. But she threw that thought out of her mind and swiftly undid the straps that were holding him in place. It felt wrong to leave an unconscious person to die. However, as soon as he woke up, he was on his own.

She dragged him with her powers across the twisted corridors. It took her a couple of tries to remember the correct path. By the time she reached back to the main area, over 3 minutes had passed. As soon as she started towards the exit, a sudden movement caught her off guard. She instantly swerved as a punch whisked right past her face. Mon-el's body fell with a loud 'thunk' as Lena focused on the attacker. Hank was giving her a vile grin.

"Where do you think you are going? The only way out is in a coffin." 

"Stop wasting my time." Lena replied as she picked up the giant table in the middle of the room and launched it at Hank. Surprisingly, he withstood the impact without any trouble. 

"Is this all you got?" He cracked his knuckles and launched himself at her.

She indifferently flicked her finger in his direction, and he went flying into the wall. He was a resilient foe; Lena would give him that. However, as much as she would enjoy tearing him apart limb from limb, her first priority was getting out of here. 

"One minute." The alarm blared again as the whole room got draped in red light followed by a tremor that shook the entire foundation. The whole structure started falling apart in a matter of seconds.

Lena used the new situation to her advantage and picked a huge rock near her. Despite causing a huge strain on her body, she successfully lifted the chunk and dropped it right on top of Hank. Making sure that he won't be walking, she briskly hauled Mon-el and exited the building. 

Running in the dark corridor while dragging a body along was easier said than done. She tried to put as much distance between her and the building before it exploded. Unfortunately, her efforts fell short as the loud 'boom' happened earlier than she expected.

The whole hallway started caving around her. Seeing no way around, she tapped into her reserves and held the entire roof inches above her face, just as it fell. She slowly crawled towards the exit, but her strength was waning fast. In her current state, even ten steps felt like a hundred. 

Somehow by a miracle, she made it past the door and above a set of stairs before collapsing to the ground. The smell of dirt and glass felt heavenly as she finally stopped using her powers. She laid under the night sky for a while, panting hard from exhaustion. Mon-el was besides her, so she laid there for a while, trying to relax a bit.

Her reprieve was short lived. The noise of sirens alarmed her that police was on its way. Barely seconds later, Supergirl swooped down in front of her and kneeled beside her. "No, no, no. Stay with me."

"I am not dying Kar. Just tired." Lena replied, completely out of breath. 

"You are bleeding." Kara pointed to her nose before checking on her arms with a horrified face. "How did you even get that many bruises?"

"Inward caving. I can't control my powers when I use them on large area. Some of it seeps inside, destroying the tissue and muscles." Lena explained getting up again. 

"How far are the police?" She asked Kara whose blue eyes were still transfixed on the bruises.

"Umm... probably a few minutes out. Don't worry, I can fly you to safety."

"Listen, DEO is not safe. Don’t tr-“ Her response was cut short by a loud roar. A figure came hulking out the destroyed tunnel. Kara immediately stood in front of her, shielding her from harm.

"How in the fucking world?" Lena whispered as the figure turned out to be Hank. Kara, on the other hand immediately froze seeing him.

"J'onn?" 

"Now that is a name I have not heard in a while. I am not that Green Martian Supergirl." Hank spat. "I am the real Hank Henshaw. He stole my identity. Left me with nothing. But that is what you aliens do, don't you? Act like you need help, then backstab without another thought."

He pulled out a kryptonite knife and grinned fiendishly. "I came prepared. Did you?"

Kara pushed Lena back on the ground as he rushed towards her. They both battled for a while as Kara kept pummeling Hank around. However, he was soaking in all the punishment without a single ounce of pain. Meanwhile, Kara was getting weaker by the second due to the exposure to kryptonite.

"Time's running out." He taunted after kicking Kara in the gut. "You shouldn't have come alone.'

Lena watched the battle from the ground. She wanted to help, but due to her exhaustion, she might hit Kara and that was the last thing Kara needed. So, she stayed put. However, that option went right out the window once Kara fell and did not get back up quickly. 

Bit by bit, she put force on her arms and got back on her feet. The world seemed a little wobbly and it took her a second to properly stand. The only thing she needed to do was save Kara, doesn't matter the cost. Focusing, she gathered all the energy around Hank, who was moving towards Kara, and stopped him dead in the track.

"What th-"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Lena closed her palm and every blood vessel in his chest snapped at once. He fell on the ground unceremoniously, the knife cluttering besides him. Lena covered the distance and chucked the knife as far as possible before tumbling down herself. 

It was too late. Hank had succeeded in one of his objectives. He had delayed them long enough that both police and DEO had arrived on the scene. The loud wails of siren assaulted her ears as many uniformed officers gathered around her.

Kara was still moving very slowly. She watched a woman dressed in black swiftly kneeling besides her and taking one of her hands in her own. "What the fuck happened here?" A woman spoke besides her.

"Not now Vasquez. Get Supergirl out of here. That's our main priority." 

"Lena Luthor, you are under arrest for murder, assault and destruction of property. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions." Someone recited before cuffing her.

"Maggie, one minute?" Lena glanced to see the woman in black conversing with the cop who arrested her. They spoke in hushed whispers with multiple subtle looks towards her. She was too tired to read their minds, so she let them keep their secrets. For now. 

"Get going Luthor." Another cop came and hauled her back up.

"Get away from me." Lena spoke irritated and moved away. "I'll go. Don't touch me."

"You are in condition for demands." She pushed her towards one of the cars. Lena barely controlled her senses from going haywire as she was forcefully made to sit in the back of the car.

As she was driven to the station, she tried sending some relief to Kara through her soulmate mark. She hoped that the DEO had enough equipment to help her. They probably did, but that did not stop her from panicking a little. At least she was able to tell that DEO was not safe.

This could not have been Lillian’s final plan. If they were going after Kara, sending one man with a kryptonite knife was a rather cheap way for an organization like Cadmus. She needed to figure out the endgame fast. She was not going to let down Kara, doesn't matter the consequences. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another clarification: Lillian has countermeasures so that Lena cannot read her mind easily. 
> 
> There will only be one chapter next week (probably on Friday). Sorry about that but I am swamped for the next few days (due to me being a procrastinator). It should go back to two chapters the week after.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Bad Gets Worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter.   
> Lena's POV. Stuff happens.

Chapter 7: Bad Gets worse

Interrogation room. For most people, this word means nothing but trouble. And why should it not? Nobody likes answering questions, much less those which are intimate. Probably why everyone preferred a lawyer for this arduous process. Still, the feeling of nervousness always creeps up when one is trying to defend themselves from serious accusations. 

Not for Lena though. In fact, nervousness was the last thing on her mind. She was busy surmising about Cadmus. Their recent activity was not making sense at all. Why let her go alive when they could have easily killed her? Her powers had limits and Lillian knew almost every single one of them. So why go with this elaborate scheme of letting her get caught by the police?

"Ms. Luthor, are you even listening?" Someone's frustrated voice distracted her.

Lena glanced at the cop in front of her. Detective Maggie Sawyer. She could be considered a borderline genius if her anger were not shrouding her judgement. 

"I am not answering anything. I have already told you this, yet you insist wasting your time."

"This is not how this works Luthor." The detective hissed. "Something big happened back there, and your silence is proof enough that it was related to you."

"Bla bla bla. I don't care. Believe whatever you want, the truth is you have no proof that I did anything. If you had such a solid case, then the prosecutor would have already charged me." Lena commented in a mocking tone.

"Oh yeah! I forgot. You are used to this, aren't you? How does it feel to know that every single member of your family is going to rot in prison for the rest of their lives?" Maggie snarked, not fazed by Lena at all.

The half-smile Lena gave was nothing short of sinister. "Who died?" She simply stated.

"W-What?"

"You know what I'm asking. Who close to you died that day in Metropolis?"

That did it. Maggie's eyes immediately filled with anger. It was always too easy. All it took was a small glimpse in someone's mind.

"Listen here bitch, y-" Maggie stopped in between, clenching her fists as hard as possible. "You know what, you are not worth it. Just answer the questions so we can get this over with." 

Lena wanted to applaud Maggie's self-control. Someone else in her position would have already punched her, or at least hurled so many obscenities that a drunk sailor would be proud. 

"You know, all this mystery would be solved if you just take Supergirl's statement." She winked at the one-sided mirror on the left wall. "I mean, what's the point of sending DEO agents to listen to me, when you can get the firsthand report from your cheerleader." 

Lena could feel the agent dressed in black shifting uneasily on her comment. It took her a while to figure her identity out, but it was not surprising. Of course, it was Kara's sister. The sister whose public identity was so mundane that on first look you would not even notice the glaring errors DEO made while creating her alibi. 

Maggie opened her mouth to retort, but someone messaged her that exact moment. She quickly read the message before walking out of the room. A moment later, two guards arrived to escort her to her cell. 

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Lena remarked as she was led back. 

Once she was alone, she sighed deeply and sat down on the bunk bed. She would have broken out of here already if it weren’t for her arms. The injuries were much more than she initially thought. She was sure that she had at least 5 hairline fractures in her arms alone and it hurt like hell. Her physical state had been one of the first question Maggie had asked. 

' _And that's why you need super healing._ ' Lena though surveying her arms. They had turned blue and dark purple from elbow to wrist. Her scars were probably going to have a few temporary additions. At least she was allowed to keep her full sleeves t-shirt. She was not sure that she wanted anyone to look at her disfigured skin. It wasn’t so bad... but she was used to it, so her opinion was biased.

Groaning in pain, she stretched her legs and laid on the bed, overlooking the ceiling. It had been around 15 hours since her arrest. The 48-hour mark was still quite far. She often felt that time would progress much faster if she slept. Most of her nighttime was spent reading or working on personal projects. Having nothing like that to do was making her feel that time was crawling.

The only good news she had all day was that Kara had gotten better. Kara had sent a few soothing emotions through, indicating that she was all right. It always surprised Lena, how they were able to understand each other with just a couple of feelings. 

The hours ticked by slowly. No one came to disturb her. It was not till evening when her tranquility finally ceased. A uniformed officer came to her cell and opened the door. "Get out quickly." She ordered Lena in a hushed tone.

Lena scrutinized the woman carefully. Considering how much her hands were shaking and how much she was perspiring; it was plain as daylight that she was up to no good. "What are you waiting for? Go, go." She asked hurriedly.

"No." Lena replied and stayed put.

"What?"

"I am not going anywhere." She gazed in the cop's eyes and read her distressed thoughts. "You can message them saying that I am not interested. Take a picture of the open cell door if you want to."

"H-how do you know wh- Please just leave. They will hurt my fiancé."

"Find someone who cares."

She looked at Lena pleadingly for some time. Glancing the corridor for something, she pulled her gun out and levelled it at Lena's head. "Get out. Now."

Lena exhaled loudly. "If I had a nickel every time someone tried to shoot me, I would..... Why am I saying this? I'm already rich."

The cop cocked the safety back. "I'm not kidding."

"Sure you are not. The way your hands are shaking, you will be lucky if you hit even the wall. And what are you going to tell others? "I shot her because she refused to leave." Just go back to your job and let me be." Lena replied mockingly.

The next few seconds passed in a tense silence. The cop knew that she was running out of time. Being desperate, she stepped inside the cell with a taser and tried to shock Lena. 'Tried' being the key word. Before she could even understand what was happening, Lena raised her left hand and stopped her dead in her track. 

"Just give me a second. Making sure you don't remember the powers part." Lena spoke to the frozen body in front of her. It took her longer than a second, but she was able to extract the memory. The cop fell unconscious in front of her, a side effect of her actions. 

Now Lena never actually believed in luck. Sure, she considered herself the unluckiest person to ever walk on the face of Earth, but in her defense, everyone who was in a bad place thought that. However, a few situations seriously made her question her belief. 

Like what happened just now. It would have taken the cop less than 30 seconds to wake back up. But no. How can something ever go her way? As soon as the body hit the ground, another cop came round the corner and immediately spotted her. 

"Hands where I can see them. Get away from her." He yelled at her, pulling his gun out.

"Seriously?" Lena whispered to herself. Before she could extend her powers to him, a few other arrived on the scene, including Detective Maggie.

"What the fuck is going on here? Denly?" Maggie asked coming to forefront of the small crowd.

"She knocked out Bethany ma'am. Don't know how, I arrived just now."

Everyone took a step back as Maggie inspected the scene. The woman, Bethany, groggily sat up and looked around dazed. Maggie sat down beside her and checked her. "You all right?"

"Hmm? Yeah yeah. Feel a bit lightheaded."

Maggie seemed to be regarding something for a while. "Denly. Cuff Luthor."

"Now hang on a sec-" Lena began but stopped midway as the cop came too close for her comfort. "Keep some distance please." She informed backing into a corner.

Maggie narrowed her eyes at Lena's behavior. "What are you so afraid of?"

"None of your business." Lena snapped. "What your business should be is keeping a better watch over your own. Why is she working with Cadmus?"

"What?" A lot of voices spoke at once. 

"Don't listen to her." Bethany said in a shaky voice. "She is trying to g-get out of this. I was just walking by the cells when she grabbed me and tried to get the keys."

"Oh really?" Lena interjected in a childish tone. "Then will you please explain why the door is open and the keys are still in your pocket? Magic? Or some mysterious powers?"

"I-I I..... I don't know" Bethany looked to everyone. "Sh- she must have placed them back when she heard Davies coming 'round the corner."

"I'm getting tired of this shit." Lena mumbled. "Check her fucking phone if you d-"

"We are not doing anything." Maggie raised her voice, cutting off Lena. "This is not your board room Luthor. Don't tell me how to do my job."

"Well, I won't need to if you were actually capable."

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Denly, take her outside. Everyone, get back to work." Maggie ordered and turned on her heels to go somewhere.

A little while later, Lena was taken outside the precinct and joined by Maggie and two others. They were talking about shifting her to somewhere else, as Cadmus seemed to be actively looking for her. However, in her brilliant observation, Maggie somehow deduced that Lena was working for Cadmus and that was the reason they were interested in her.

Lena couldn't stop the bursting laugh as she overheard this. Even if the world ended, she would never work with Lillian. "What's so funny Luthor?" Maggie noticed her chuckle.

"Nothing." Lena replied. "And yet, everything."

The way Maggie's face distorted in confusion almost made her laugh again. This time though, she was able to keep her composure as a police cruiser came to a halt in front of them. "Get in."

"Not before you explain what's happening." Lena said sweetly.

"You already know." Maggie hissed angrily. "Shut up and do as I say."

"I know my rights. You can't just change the precincts. Where are the court orders?" Lena watched Maggie smile at her words. It was the first time she had seen the detective not tensed.

"Who said I'm changing the precinct?" Maggie asked in a voice which was telling that she was enjoying having an upper hand on Lena.

"Ohhh." Lena said in fake confusion before dropping the bombshell. "DEO finally had the gall to pull some strings. Good to know that they at least have some spine."

The color on everyone's face drained faster than Lena could say 'got you'. No one spoke anything as they looked at each other's faces for a while. She was forcefully made to sit in the back of the car, hands cuffed in front of her, without anyone speaking a single word. 

The car moved at quite a fast speed. The two cops sitting in front of her seemed to be in a rush, as if wanting to get rid of her as fast as possible. She focused on a flock of birds who were flying in the same direction. It was one of the few activities in which she felt relaxed. She had thought of asking Kara how it feels to fly around without any aim. Probably someday she might.

The birds changed their minds after a while and went their own way. Lena bid them a silent goodbye and focused on the buildings whizzing past her. After a couple of minutes, they came to halt at an empty intersection. Lena's gut feeling told her that something was wrong. The red light seemed to be on for way too long and the lack of other cars unnerved her.

A loud blaring noise distracted everyone in the car. As they looked to their right to see what was going on, a truck came out of nowhere and crashed into them at full speed. The sheer force of the crash was so much that the car went tumbling around for quite some distance.

Lena found herself hanging upside down in a wrecked car. She was barely able to pull her psychic shields up milliseconds before the crash. The other two weren't lucky as their dead bodies were limply thrown all over the place. Any chance of them surviving went out the window when she saw that their necks were twisted at a weird angle. The whole car was full of blood. The crash did not seem to be the end of her woes though, as several cars stopped right across the road and many people jumped out.

"Be careful. She is dangerous." Someone shouted as the footsteps grew closer. 

Lena grunted in pain and tried to open the door. She couldn't do it. Her hands were in so much pain due to the shield that even flicking her fingers seemed to hurt every cell. As she thought of her options, someone opened the front door and dragged the two bodies outside to confirm that they were dead.

"We are not looking for a fight. Just come outside and we can resolve this in peace." A guy's voice informed Lena.

' _Yeah, sure. Twenty people are here to talk_.' Lena thought. She tried to kick the door, but it did not budge. It was the least of her problems though, as a fuel line had broken earlier; spilling diesel all over the place. She needed to get out fast.

"We can help. All you have to do is not attack us on sight." The voice repeated.

Lena still did not reply and changed her strategy. She used her powers to break her cuffs. Next, she kicked the remains of the broken window and tried crawling out of it. It was a much successful endeavor as she was able to get out, however with more bleeding and scrapes than she could count. It didn't matter too much anyway; she was used to the pain.

Once she was out, she took a second to balance herself as 20-25 people stood in front of her with guns locked and loaded. "We can do this peacefully."

"Really?" Lena asked pointing to the guns.

"This is just precaution. We have no int-" The next words choked in his throat as Lena entered his mind and paralyzed her.

The others looked in fear as they watched the man fall to the ground. They had no idea that she could not use much of her powers, and that was going to be her biggest advantage in this moment. "Anyone else?" She asked threateningly.

They looked at each other nervously. One woman surveyed her condition before calling her bluff. "Open fire." 

She drew the shield again, to no real advantage. The bullets easily penetrated her half assed psychic guard, but at least it diverted the bullets. So instead of getting three dozen bullets wounds, she was only grazed in four places: two on her right leg, one just below ribs and one in her left arm. 

At that point, she was more concerned about the damage she was doing to herself rather than any external damage. She had surpassed the limits of her body way too long ago. This much internal hemorrhage was not going to heal easily. Despite the excruciating pain, she kept the shield up. The hail of bullets came to a close their magazines finally ran out.

"My turn." Lena said and picked everyone in the entire vicinity. Once they had reached enough height, she let them drop with such a brutal force that no one survived. Most of the bodies had parts hanging in such a bizarre way that someone faint of heart would puke. 

She looked down at her bloodied body. Her clothes had turned completely red, but her adrenaline kept her going. It was maybe the only advantage of Lillian's experiments. She was so used to having her body ripped from inside out that she was numb to smaller agonies. 

However, in the chaos, she had forgotten about the overturned car. The fuel finally sparked setting the car ablaze. This time no shield came up as she was sent flying away from the exploding car. She tried getting up again, but her body had completely given up. Her eyes closed as another car pulled up near her, drowning her in darkness for the first time in years.

Lena stirred awake after who knows how many hours. At first, she was confused about her state. Was she alive, or dead? The soreness of her body answered that question. She did not dwell much on the topic of afterlife, but she was pretty certain that you were not supposed to feel stuff in there. 

She lazily opened her eyes, to find herself sitting in another car. There were no buildings around and it appeared to be nighttime. "Look who decided to join us." Lillian's voice taunted from her left side.

"You wouldn't have been this 'damaged' if you just ran when the cop told you to. And no one would have had to die. Did you really forget that I get whatever I want? No matter the cost." Lillian kept going, much to Lena's annoyance.

"Shut the fuck up." She murmured.

"Still have the fight." Lillian chuckled lightly. "You would be dead if not for me. The last thing you could do is show some gratitude. But manners were never really your forte, were they?"

"Learned from you only." 

"Say whatever you want. The truth is that no one is going to believe you anymore. You killed two cops, along with twenty of your own men in daylight. The police are on a manhunt for you. You have no other option than to join me." Lillian said with a smile.

"Hard pass."

"You'll come around. We still have twenty hours."

"For what?"

"End of the world. At least as we know it." Lillian said in an offhanded manner. "Welcome to the base of Cadmus."

Lena watched as the rounding roads led them straight into a mountain, which opened to reveal an entire underground military base. She could only guess how Cadmus got their hands on it, but the sheer size of it was enough to cause her distress. Well, she still had twenty hours. Way more than she needed to cause chaos in their ranks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarification: Lena needs her hands for telekinesis. Not telepathy, that's just her brain and vision.
> 
> Also to be fair to Maggie, extremely hard to interrogate someone who literally knows what's your next question is going to be.
> 
> One chapter next week too. Thank you for reading!


End file.
